Why would they? Apple benefits immensely from subsidies, as an end user pays the same amount as they would for any other phone, but they charge the carrier $100 more (iPhone 5 16GB unsubsidized - $649, Galaxy S III 16GB unsubsidized - $549)Reply

"If T-Mobile manages to force the carriers to compete on features and price of the their services and stop the subsidy loansharking, they'll deserve a massive pat on the back."

I fixed that for you. Not sure how you were crediting T-Mobile's strategy to Apple. It's part of their whole "uncarrier" effort, and doesn't revolve solely around the iPhone 5 or any single device from Apple or anyone else. I hope it works and we get similar contract free offerings from the big 3, but Apple hasn't exactly been breaking the mold here for the last 5 years with AT&T/Verizon/Sprint. Reply

You seemed to have missed the part where that has no relevance to breaking the subsidy stranglehold the big carriers have on America. I'm fully aware that it will be the same phone, and I'm fully aware that the hardware is the same as the old (AT&T) phone. Why would Apple make multiple models with radios that support the same bands? If they could have made one model that supported every band they needed across the globe they would have. That doesn't have anything to do with Apple (not) paving the way for the end of highly subsidized contracts here. Apple is not a carrier. And Apple has never stipulated to AT&T/Verizon/Sprint that in order to sell the iPhone they had to offer contract free pricing. If you want to point a finger at someone in the same space that has actually made real attempts to disrupt the subsidy model here it is Google with the cheap unlocked Nexus line, not that the exercise has been enormously successful so far.Reply

It will. The short version of the difference is that the new model supports HSPA+ 42Mbps (on 1700MHz), but the old one will cap out at HSPA+ 21Mbps (on 1900MHz). Both new and old will support LTE.Reply

Are you certain...? I was told by an Apple 800# rep via chat that the old A1428 will support HSPA+14.4 and not T-Mobile's faster HSPA+42...

There still may be confusion. For those with unlocked AT&T iPhone 4 & 4S that want to churn for the cheaper $50/mo unlimited 3G/throttled LTE on T-Mobile, it would be cool to know the full answer. ;)Reply

Yup, and that's how it's been reported everywhere after the dust settled. TMO has single carrier 21Mbps on PCS which the AT&T iPhone 5 can use. Their dual carrier (42Mbps) is all AWS, which is what's not going to work unless they change their mind and offer a firmware update. I imagine some creative folks will come up with a way around the lack of an official baseband update though.Reply

This is particularly relevant in Canada, where adding support for AWS spectrum will bring the iPhone to at least three carriers, two of them national new-entrants (recently entered the market, WIND and Mobilicity), and one of them a regional incumbent cableco (Videotron). Getting the iPhone to these new carriers has the potential to shake up the market, since the lack of an iPhone has certainly not been helping the new carriers compete against the incumbents.Reply

I am curious to know if Apple will update unlocked iPhones with the new firmware.

I bought an unlocked iPhone 5 in December for use on T-Mobile. I am not that interested in LTE, I just want to maintain a solid 3G connection. T-Mobile's 1900 MHz update has been great, when I have it but it is very annoying to fall back on EDGE.Reply

I agree. If it's not even a hardware change just software, why can't I get it on the 32GB iPhone 5 I bought unlocked at an Apple store + AppleCare for $900?! I mean COME ON! That's horrible customer service. When the new version ships I'm going to go to the Apple store and demand the software update or ask for an exchange for a new model 32GB phone that will have software to take advantage of the carrier I am using.

Thank you Brian, not the answer I wanted to hear but T-Mobile has been moving rather quickly with the 1900 MHz upgrade. I really have no choice but deal with it. I will however be sure to voice my displeasure over this matter to Apple. Reply

I'm guessing Apple and T-Mobile reached an agreement in which Apple would not release a firmware update enabling the DC-HSDPA AWS bands on the existing iPhone 5s. After all, Apple usually requires each carrier to purchase a minimum number of iPhones, and T-Mobile probably prefers that people coming to them buy new iPhones rather than take unlocked AT&T versions.Reply

Seems doubtful. T-Mobile is quite happy to have you bring your AT&T iPhone over to their network. They just went through a huge refarming of their 1900MHz network to give AT&T expats 3G on their existing devices. They've openly bragged about how many iPhones they've had on their network for a while now, and those users were suffering with edge up until the refarm.Reply

Last week I traveled from Raleigh NC to Washington DC to Philly, PA. I have a gsm phone on the t-mobile network and never once had a 3g connection on the 1900mhz band. I stood on the Washington mall, right in front of the capital, I also ran to the top of the art museum steps in Philly (yeah, all Rocky-like) and all I ever got was EDGE. So much for their huge refarming effort.Reply

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